The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Crooks, Jacqueline. Fire Rush. Viking, 2023.

Fire Rush is a historical fiction novel telling the story of Yamaye, a young working-class British-Jamaican woman living in Norwood, an enclave in London, in the late 1970s to the early 1980s. The novel is divided into three books which track Yamaye’s journey from Norwood, to Bristol, to Jamaica. Yamaye’s parents were Jamaican immigrants. Yamaye's mother left for a job in Guyana when Yamaye was a child, but Yamaye was told she died.

Book One: "The Crypt: Underground November 1978-November 1980" shows Yamaye living and working in Norwood. She spends most of her free time with her friend group, fellow Jamaican immigrant Asase and Irish Traveler Rumer, who make up the so-called “Tombstone Estate gyals.” The three spend a lot of time at a dancehall club called the Crypt. One night, Yamaye meets a man named Moose at the club, and the two fall in love and begin to pursue a relationship. However, tragedy strikes when Moose is murdered by the police. Heartbroken, Yamaye begins to join activist groups to find justice for Moose’s murder. At the same time, Asase tries to pursue a relationship with a married man named Eustace. One night, Asase and Eustace have an argument at the Crypt, and Asase stabs him. She is later arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Rumer also decides to move back to Ireland. Feeling alone, Yamaye begins a relationship with a dangerous criminal named Monassa. Eventually, she decides to move in with him at his home in Bristol called “the Safe House.”

Book Two: "Safe House November 1980-November 1981" takes place in Bristol, at Monassa’s so-called Safe House, where he lives with a gang of criminal associates. Monassa compels Yamaye to start helping his crew with their robberies and other criminal activities, in exchange for getting her a spot singing at a local club called Shackles. The relationship between Yamaye and Monassa begins to turn violent, and Monassa exerts more control over Yamaye and begins sexually assaulting her. When Monassa and several members of his crew are arrested, Yamaye takes the opportunity to steal his money and run away. When saying goodbye to her father, he reveals that Yamaye’s mother may not have died but instead was just missing. Yamaye decides to go to Jamaica to learn the truth about her mother.

In Book Three: "Outtasphere: Cockpit Country November 1981-January 1982," Yamaye travels to Cockpit Country, Jamaica. She is more at peace and calm in Jamaica, and she pursues her musical career. She finds the orphanage where her mother was raised and learns that her mother had planned to buy a house in Jamaica and live there with Yamaye. Yamaye also meets Moose’s grandmother and learns more about his family. Monassa comes to Jamaica and tries to make Yamaye leave with him, but she instead poisons him and leaves him for dead in a cave. The novel ends with Yamaye still in Jamaica, feeling hopeful about the future.